Career Backstory: Back in 2008, I got a grant from Vassar College to pursue a summer internship, and Details was good enough to hire me. Those three months were a huge education, both in terms of producing a magazine and how to live in New York. I dabbled in grant writing for a while, and after college I moved home and worked at the local paper in Cape May, NJ, called Exit Zero. It was the best place for me because the staff was so small. I learned to write, edit, do layouts, take photos and edit them afterwards. After moving to NYC, I did a brief stint at Out magazine (largely writing for the web, which was fun and addictive) and finally ended up back where I started, at Details. Since then, I’ve moved from Editorial Assistant to Assistant Editor (a small but crucial switch of letters) and found a really good niche here—focusing on men’s grooming, plus a little style and fitness.
Industry Pet Peeve: Late nights during close — unavoidable, but soul-sucking.
Work Confession: As someone who barely answers my mom’s calls, it’s MUCH better if you send me an email instead of cold-calling.
Job Must-Haves: Coffee, Marlboros, a Rolodex, a Bach playlist, and a roll-on scent.
Favorite Work Perks? I have never been so moisturized, coiffed, and perfumed in my life.
You started out as an intern at Details while in college and then returned nearly four years later. Is that a testament to maintaining your connections?: That definitely has a lot to do with it—I kept in touch with my editors, but maybe more importantly, I kept reading the magazine (and even before the internship, I’d been reading Details since high school). I feel like I fit really well with this title: it’s for young, urban guys who want to know what’s coming next—I want that too.
You’ve found your niche with grooming as well as style and body. Did the opportunity just arise or did you actively seek out those topics/sections?: I’m interested in every section of the magazine. My predecessor left to freelance a while back, and when I saw the opportunity to move into men’s grooming, I surveyed the field, worked up a bunch of pitches, and sat down to talk it over with our editor-in-chief. He essentially made it my beat for a trial period, and I guess I passed that test. Since then, I’ve come to really enjoy the topic: guys aren’t as sheepish to talk about grooming as they used to be. The word “metrosexual” is a punchline at this point, because everyone wants to present themselves at their best—it’s my job to help you do it.
Favorite published piece: I’m an unapologetic fragrance fiend, so anything I’ve written on cologne has been a serious labor of love; take “The 9 Best Colognes Of The Season,” for example. But I’m proudest of our 2014 June/July Grooming Guide. There were a couple all-nighters involved, but it’s 12 pages that I was responsible for: from cult brands to trendy ingredients, cologne round-ups, skincare, tastemaker interviews, and product reviews. It was a huge undertaking, but a huge pay-off, too. I’ll always have that in my portfolio.
Advice for breaking into the industry: To a certain extent, you need to look and act the part—that is, professional. But as someone who’s very shy, it took me a few months to really feel like myself in the office, and it wasn’t until I started acting like myself that things started happening for me. Also, always write your thank-you notes.
Location: New York, NY
Twitter: twitter.com/jonmroth
Amanda Jean Black is a guest blogger at Ed2010, sharing stories from her site onthemasthead.com. When not hunting down publishing’s elite for an interview, you can find the native New Yorker obsessing about style and culture, shopping for designer streetwear, and jamming out to 90′s alt rock.
